


Life Trivia

by does_that_scare_you



Category: Scent of a Woman (1992)
Genre: Arguing, Developing Relationship, Jealousy, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Character Death, Morning Cuddles, Phone Sex, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24771466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/does_that_scare_you/pseuds/does_that_scare_you
Summary: The pair of Charlie and the Colonel is so smooth to write about. Their destinies are so tightly knit and inseparable, one could get envious...My style is quite old school, sweet daily life is my favourite and I wish these lovers to finally be together!
Relationships: Charlie Simms/Frank Slade
Comments: 12
Kudos: 32





	Life Trivia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [johnnyvenn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnnyvenn/gifts).
  * Inspired by [生活琐事](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406934) by [johnnyvenn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnnyvenn/pseuds/johnnyvenn). 



> Thank you so much johnny for letting me translate your beautiful story, it was fun to work with you!

7:54, said the alarm clock, but both man and alarm were still asleep. A hand reached out five minutes later and slammed down just before it was about to ring, catching the first hint of a beep in-between his fingers and suffocated it. Charlie took a half-hearted glance at the time displayed on the screen, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curling up to a triumphant smile- he liked to wake up before his alarm went off. 

He took his middle finger to rub the gunk out of his eyes, waiting for mind clear and sleep to fade from the corners of his eyes. The person next to him wasn't disturbed by his movements, judging by the way his arm still rested firmly on Charlie's stomach. 

The young man could never know if Frank was pretending to be asleep or had woken up and it distinctly more difficult with a blind man, much to his chagrin. His eyes could brighten, while the Colonel's could not, which made him feel sorry, even though Frank had said numerous times that Charlie's thoughts were foolish. Still, he was still trying to adjust his mind to his blind companion the best he could.

But on this morning, he didn’t want to worry about anything and actually, there was no reason to. The sun was shining softly through closed shutters and watching Frank's sleeping face with his mouth slightly open, set free an almost unreal feeling of happiness inside of Charlie’s veins. Clear and sweet, like a stream in spring. 

His absolute favourite way to start the day, was to tease the older man a bit, so Charlie closed Frank's mouth, held his nose, and smiled as his face turned red. Frank flinched, gasped and opened his eyes, his orbs darting around to find a focus. The younger man let go giggling, making the attempt to lose Frank’s arm from his body and get up, but he hadn’t counted on the Colonel’s vengeance.

He made a cage with his own body, trapping Charlie underneath him and starting to tickle him until the young man couldn’t breathe from laughing. After a bit of playfulness, Charlie had another look at the alarm clock and said gasping, "Frank, I'm going to be late."

There was no response from the other man, just a cruel grin as his fingers reached into Charlie's pyjama pants and stroked energetic his little friend.

"God, there's no time for that, I really have to get up!" Charlie called out, a moan breaking through his laugh.

Frank gripped him a little harder, rutting back and forth like he was holding a motorcycle handlebar. The more Charlie tried to get away, the more nimble Frank's hand became, his fingers skimming, rubbing and jerking fast and hard, as if their only tasks was to make him be late.. In a mental struggle, Charlie held down the hand and retrieved his penis, keeping his semi-erect state and quickly put on his shirt before running into the bathroom.

Before leaving the house, Frank was still nestled in bed when he heard Charlie open the door and suddenly yelled, "Where's my goodbye kiss?"

Having no choice, Charlie snapped back to kiss him. Frank clasps Charlie's neck, pushing his tongue in hard and tangling it. Panting, Charlie pushed him away, which is not as easy as he would have thought; the military training of the older man clearly paid out and fled out of the bedroom in a huff, running to school.

On the way to class, Charlie reflected on the intimate atmosphere of the morning and couldn't help but blush a little; when had the Colonel become so clingy? The one who asked Charlie for a kiss and the blind man sitting in the dim light seemed to be two completely different people. Ever since that Thanksgiving job had tied their fates together, they had been inseparable. Charlie pushed some hair out of his eyes and continued to think. 

He remembered the beginning of college, before Frank had moved to Boston, and Charlie had to run back and forth every other week, the Colonel used to pick him up from the airport and half devoured him as soon as the car door was closed. Charlie's face went another shade of red thinking about it. Oh, and that damn phone call! Knowing that the school dormitory was for two, the bad-hearted Frank would still make erotic phone calls late at night. Each time it started with - "Charlie, where are your hands now?"

Charlie held the earpiece and could hear the sound of breathing across the room. “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie”, Frank's distinctive voice rumbled against his ears. "Feel your face for me, your lips, and...the inside of your thighs, is it soft? Oh, I miss you, I miss you... Are you touching yourself? I'm in it. Do you want to kiss me, touch me? You really like it here, don't you?" In between the words, two gasps could be heard as the phone cord grew tighter and tighter, zooming in to fill the earpiece. Charlie gulped and put his hand down his pants. 

"Charlie...do you want to cum? Don't... yet..." and Frank stopped talking, his breath coming in short gasps and moans, his voice thin with out-of-control pleasure. Charlie's face and neck flushed, his passion spreading from below his navel to his neck and eventually burning on the one ear that was attached to the receiver. The image of Frank soothing himself over the phone was too erotic. 

However, Charlie is reluctant to break their little sexual habit of always Frank orgasming first, followed by his’. The desire for control is gradually revealed. If the time they have spend together has revealed to him Frank's dependence on him, it has also revealed his desire for control. It was as if he was getting to know a new self, thanks to Frank.

What had brought them to this point? When an intimate relationship develops somehow, people are mostly careful about going back in time, and this is when Charlie always would see that self with his back to Frank, ready to leave, and at the same time feel a cold shiver, just like that day at the Waldorf Astoria. 

After having sex far more than once, Charlie couldn't really remember who had reached out first, there was no need to explain the desire. And the Colonel surprised him, but didn't make him feel bad. They still walked, ate, went to concerts, and even watched movies together, occasionally touching each other's bodies, and no one ever mentioned it. 

It became just as natural as anything else, but wasn’t ignored. Until the slightest thing provoked a fight, the elephant that has avoided talking about, took over the room, the harsh insults and evil curses, and Frank with his usual gesture of refusing to go away. Anger and frustration rose and fell sharply in Charlie's chest, and the Colonel became a stranger again. He didn't know how to argue, he just wanted to turn away, away from the the whirlpool of quarrels. As Charlie opened the door, he heard his own name being called, trembling and weak.

Frank's voice was lifeless, and a fear blacker than darkness assailed him, draining his breath like an avalanche of mountains. It collapsed on the cupboard with a crash. Charlie hurried to help Frank onto the couch, then half-kneeled beside him and covered him with warm hands on Frank's knee. Half-heartedly, Frank spoke.

"I didn't mean it, not a single word."

Charlie said softly, "It's okay, I didn't take it too serious."

"Actually what I'm trying to say is...I mean...oh God, forget it, you shouldn't waste your time on blind old men. Charlie, you have eternal light and I only have darkness."

Two incredibly conflicting feelings collided in Frank's body, wanting to tell Charlie he couldn't survive without him, but not wanting to kidnap with his own up him. His senses were painfully and soberly reminded that it was a sin to leave Charlie behind, and that even if he were more evil, he could never forgive such a sin .

Holding all four hands together, Charlie lowered his head and kept kissing, sending a steady stream of energy to Frank with comfort. He looked at Frank's crying wet face and said firmly, "If I could have left you in New York, I would have left, I wouldn't have stopped you from shooting yourself in the head, wouldn't have come back with you, continued the relationship, wouldn't do anything with you; and if you didn’t care about me either, then you wouldn’t have come to that in court. There would have been countless opportunities to hinder our destinies from meeting, but unfortunately we missed them all. Isn't it too late for you to tell me to leave now?" 

Charlie's tears were falling on their interlocking hands, running down the seam into their palms, where they evaporated. "Don't you understand, Frank Slade? It's too late for me to pretend I don't love you, and neither do you, isn't it?"

For a long time, there was only quiet silence in the air.

Frank whispered to Charlie, "What did you just call me?"

"Frank, may I call you that?"

The blind eyes suddenly showed a faint glimmer, "You've done that already, son."

After that day they never argued again. There was nothing so pleasant as a mutual expression of affection, and every day the heart was filled to overflowing, and forever hating that there was not enough time. At first it seemed to Charlie that, except for the change from "Colonel" to "Frank", they hadn't changed much. 

Before he knew it, Charlie was spending more and more nights in Frank's bed, and the goodbyes in the mornings were becoming more difficult. Frank had stopped thinking about morality, and if he had been selfish enough in his life, why would it matter right now? He had a young man's fervent, impulsive, reckless love, completely free of hesitation and looking left and right. For the first time in Frank's life, he felt how full a soul could be with joy.

To say that they didn’t fight anymore, was not exactly right, because Frank wasn't really a lover of obedience. Oh yes, they did fight, a lot he would even say, but words of bitterness only stinged sometimes, but didn’t hurt.

One evening, as he has dinner with Frank at a restaurant, the feelings of anger and frustration came back to him.

He couldn't control it, even if it had become habitual for Frank. While they waited for dinner, Frank began to appreciate the rich scent system of the restaurant and gushed especially about the waitress’ But it was not only that. It was the way he showed off his brilliant deductions; arrogant, bragging.

Back at home, Frank's words became fewer, and he took off his jacket in slow silence and stood there, his mouth opening and closing in the attempt to say something. Fingers grazed his hair then settled without movement. He finally said.

"You're not in a good mood today."

"That is not true."

Frank tilted his head at Charlie. "Really? Are you happy?"

"I...had a great time, and dinner was great."

"Sure." Frank leaned in close to Charlie and put his hands on his face, "Don't think you can lie to me just because I can't see it, I can feel it."

Admitting that jealousy was a shame, Charlie shook his head in Frank's hands, intending to let the feeling sink in.

Frank dropped his hand and sighed, "Well, if you don't like it when I do that, I'll try to avoid it." With that, he poured himself a glass of wine and left Charlie alone in the bedroom.

He didn’t need to say what he was intending to do, he never needed many words around his lover. The young man blinked and quickly followed Frank, intending to taste the hot wine in his mouth. There was another language between them, and that was sex.

It was raining outside, one drop chasing another, and a mist rose from the ground and slowly enveloped the buildings. The corridors were crowded with students without umbrellas, hesitating to decide in which direction to flee. With his philosophy book raised up to cover his head, he rushed into the rain curtain with extra confidence, finally getting a chance to put Platon to good use. 

Charlie watched the dark clouds condense again in the west and decided to go before the storm hit. The icy rain licked Charlie's neck, a few drops sent into his chest by the wind, the sweat standing up, the skin against his sticky, wet shirt. It felt awful.

Almost back to the apartment, Charlie relaxed a little, thinking that Frank had been waiting with the lights on for a long time. While Frank doesn't need the light, he always turns it on for Charlie to remind him that someone is waiting for him. Charlie looked up against the rain and saw no lights. Isn't Frank home? Where did he go in the rain? Did he bring an umbrella? 

With an instant flash of anxiety, Charlie quickly ran up the stairs and turned on the light, gasping in shock as he saw Frank inspectingly sitting on the couch.

Charlie stripped off the outside moisture and came over to Frank. Sensing someone approaching, Frank motioned toward Charlie and gave him a kiss. The young man’s rain-soaked lips mixed the earthy rain drops into Frank's mouth, neutralizing the taste of alcohol. He did not speak. Frank sitting alone in the dark drinking, was not a good sign, but Charlie knows better then to push him.

It didn't last long before Frank broke the silence, his voice even hoarser than before.

"I just got a call that Willie passed away."

Charlie was thunderstruck for a moment, realizing that Frank was talking about his older brother, William Slade.

He had always have the impression that William and Frank bore little resemblance to each other, both in appearance and personality, and the lives they lived were even more different. Charlie looked at the photo that Frank held in his hands and realized that some parts still were quite similar, like the forehead and nose. He turned his head to look at Frank, who was wearing sunglasses, and didn't read any expressions. 

In fact, even though Frank had taken Charlie to a Thanksgiving family gathering, he still knew nothing about the Slade family. He never talks about it, and he's convinced that torture won't bring up the family history. At the funeral, in addition to discovering that the Slade family possessed the same forehead and nose, Charlie learned the obvious fact- The family is sparsely populated, not many people came and walked away. 

On the way there Charlie, had a hard time explaining his relationship with Frank, yet no one asked, and his presence seemed natural. But there is no doubt that they still see him as Frank's assistant.  
The heart disease caused William no pain, but his family had a hard time accepting this reality, watching the sobbing mourners, yet Charlie was more concerned about Frank. He didn't speak, he didn't cry, he didn't EAT. 

The young man was curious about what happened between the brothers, but was too embarrassed to ask, and at William's house, he watched in peace as the records of his life were shown, not realizing that Frank had slipped away.

Sadness is a more contagious emotion than happiness and the situation was so painful that the he could not help himself, but let one or another tear slip down his face. He suddenly realized that death lurked in every skin-to-skin contact they had, and how rare was the happiness contained in the trivialities of life. It was not the first time Charlie had encountered this fear, the .45 seemed to be against Frank's forehead again, and he watched the bullet shoot through his skull, unable to do anything about it. 

Just as Charlie's tears are about to fall on William's picture, Gloria interrupts his musings to remind him that Frank is missing. Worried with a bit of resentment at Charlie's dereliction of duty in her tone, he didn't have time to notice her attitude, grabbed his jacket and hurried outside. The fantasy seemed to become reality for a moment, and his hands trembled, revealing the confusion within.

Gretchen, who had been weeping silently in the little chair in the corner, spoke up to stop him, looking at Charlie with gentle, sad eyes, as if she understood the young man. Anxiously, she tells Charlie that she might be able to find Frank in a certain place.

Passing over four or five buildings, the ground rose slightly, the slope was covered with flowers and grass, and at the top of the slope was a tree, under which Charlie saw the familiar Backstory. Frank was on crutches, sunglasses plastered to his face, his hair meticulously done, his long coat down to his ankles, wrapped around his somewhat rickety body. 

The grass beneath his feet rubbed against each other affectionately, the dirt sticking to his shoes. After calming his breathing Charlie came to Frank's side and discreetly called his name. Frank took off his glasses, his dark coloured pupils searching the air for Charlie, and said, "Willie and I used to come here a lot when we were little.... Ridiculously old-fashioned, never got very far in life."

The church could be seen from the top of the slope, William's grave was near the church, and Charlie looked in that direction. It was the first time I'd heard Frank talk about his family, and the listener slowed his breathing.

"I like to go down from the top at a mad speed," Frank paused, "I remember mum telling Willie to take my brother's hand, ah..." his voice changed tone and tears were already streaming from the corners of his red eyes.

There seemed to be so much more to say, but sobs clogged his throat and Frank’s voice shattered. Charlie wrapped his arms around him, two torsos pressed together to stop the cold wind from passing through them. 

Frank's feelings are so fragile under the support of his lover that he never thought he'd be so sentimental, and it's Charlie who frees him. When Frank eased up, Charlie pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his damp face, which had lost its light and was now showing it’s old age, and again, Charlie was struck by the years between them. He didn't hide his expression and asked him with concern, 

"Are you feeling better?"

"Oh, Charlie," said Frank, taking his hand, "do I look like I'm going to die?"

Charlie grinned, his smile ugly, "You're alive and well, please don't scare me again."

"Do you remember? There's a question you’ve never answered me."

"The day at the Waldorf Astoria, the one you asked about?"

"Would you like that?" He licked his lips, his fingers trembling in Charlie's hand, "Willie died so suddenly that it seemed to remind me that my days were numbered. Until then, I don't want to be alone and cold, six feet under, or as dark as I am now...would you? I'll adopt you, or you'll adopt me, it doesn't matter, I want us to be a real family. Or maybe you think I'm unbelievable, so you're entitled to refuse."

Charlie hesitated, let the words sink in. “What are you trying to say Frank?”, he asked while understanding them at the same time.

“Listen, son. I’m an old man and sometimes I can be a real idiot, I know that too.”

“I’m glad that you are acknowledging the fact.”

“Shut up, I’m trying to be romantic, don’t abuse it.”

“Alright, alright”, the young man laughed.

“But still, you kind of seem to want to stick around with me. I’d like to make that official.” 

This time, Charlie's smile was a little brighter, his voice unable to hide the laughter, "Frank Slade, are you asking me to marry you? " He lowered his head and pressed his forehead against his, as if to confirm the other man's true feelings. It's an ancient and instinctive act that all civilized societies have not been able to explain. The idea of spending a lifetime together is probably just that.

Frank's face blossomed into a smile, and the lines around his eyes looked like ripples in a pond, round and round, so that Charlie couldn't bear to blink. Frank's voice sounded a little silly, "Do you mind, I don't have a ring and I'm too old to kneel."

The shade sheltered the two snuggled shadows and Charlie kissed Frank on the lips, "It's okay. I’ll take you that way too."


End file.
